It’s better for the sport if Karl and T C I don’t meet until Hambletonian Day.

by Debbie Little

Ever since Karl got the better of T C I in last year’s Breeders Crown, the anticipation for their next showdown has been building.

But as the old idiom says, “Be careful what you wish for.”

When both Karl and T C I dropped in the entry box for the W.N. Reynolds on Saturday (June 29) at The Meadowlands, some hoped they’d finally get to see the rubber match between the two top 3-year-old colt trotters.

But is that really what’s best for everyone? Because, after all, who doesn’t love a good rivalry story?

With the Paris Olympics set to start in less than a month, the story of “Dan and Dave” immediately comes to mind.

A Reebok ad campaign that started airing during the 1992 Super Bowl turned U.S. Olympic decathletes Dan O’Brien and Dave Johnson into household names.

Just like T C I and Karl, Dan and Dave were rivals, and each hoped to claim the gold in Barcelona.

One thing the Dan and Dave campaign shows us, is even if you’re dealing with top-level athletes, things can go wrong. Five weeks prior to the games, Dan failed to qualify for the Olympics. Dave competed in Barcelona with a foot injury, yet still managed to win the bronze medal. Dave retired following the games while Dan represented the U.S. at the Atlanta games in 1996 and did, indeed, win the gold medal.

The most important takeaway from Dan and Dave is the value of a good rivalry, which brings us back to Karl and T C I.

The first and only time, other than the Crown, that Karl and T C I have met to date, was as 2-year-olds at Lexington’s Red Mile in the International Stallion Stakes where T C I prevailed by the smallest of margins. Going into this weekend’s races, the two colts are undefeated for the year.

Karl’s 2024 campaign has been completely contested at The Meadowlands, where he is three-for-three in the New Jersey Sire Stakes, after winning two preliminary legs and the final.

T C I — named for the Turks and Caicos Islands — has taken a different tack, plotting his path through divisions of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes. He is two-for-two.

Karl — a nickname for breeder/co-owner Michelle Crawford’s sister-in-law — is the 1-5 morning-line favorite in the first of two Reynolds divisions (race 6) for male trotters, while T C I is the 4-5 early choice in the second division (race 9).

Trainer/co-owner Nancy Takter dropped two into the box for the Reynolds — Karl and Stormcloudfashion — meaning those horses would be split if there were enough entrants to require more than one division.

It was purely luck that put T C I in with Stormcloudfashion and not Karl, because unlike the Hambletonian, which currently seeds its eliminations, the Reynolds is a blind draw.

When asked if she was happy that Karl and T C I were not meeting in the Reynolds, Takter said, “I am very confident in my horse, but this is a nice group of 3-year-olds and one has to respect the competition at all times.”

Asked a similar question, T C I’s trainer Ron Burke said, “Yes for sure. It’s the path of least resistance.”

In regard to the rivalry being good for the sport, Burke said, “For sure. I hope we both do our part.”

Once the Reynolds is behind them, there is still at least one more pre-Hambletonian hurdle to face for Karl and T C I.

On July 13, both are eligible to the Stanley Dancer Memorial, as is Highland Kismet.

Although not eligible to the Reynolds, gelded Canadian invader Highland Kismet made quite a name for himself winning the Goodtimes at Woodbine Mohawk Park on North America Cup Night (June 15).

“He is the dark horse now; adds to the intrigue,” Burke said.

Since the Dancer, like the Reynolds, is raced in divisions, the questions will start again.

Will all three drop in and will any of them end up in the same division?

Like the Reynolds, the Dancer is a blind draw, once horses are divided by ownership and trainers.

Perhaps there is something to be said for seeding stakes, which has certainly worked out well for the Hambletonian.

Saturday night at The Big M was designed to feature older competition, with the Six Pack (mare trotters), Perfect Sting (mare pacers), Crawford Farms (open trot) and Dave Brower Memorial (open pace), but don’t be surprised if a pair of 3-year-olds steal the show.